Wednesday, February 27, 2013

- Chris Christie: Democrat Candidate For President

There is a line you can't cross in America if you expect the conservative movement's support. It's not immigration or gay marriage, or even abortion. It's guns. If you favor gun control you have a "limited future" in the party - say the organizers of CPAC about why they didn't invite Chris Christie to attend this year.

Ages ago, before National Review tossed him into the volcano to appease the gods of racial political correctness, our man Derb was in an informal meeting with governor Christie. He was fresh off his win of the governor's mansion and was looking south to DC at presidential primary time. Most people were asking him about unions or public pensions - all valid issues for a Republican governor from a state in such a ludicrous fiscal condition. But our man Derb asked him about his position on guns.

I don't recall the exact quote. With the CPAC business maybe Derb will quote himself, or I'm sure you can find it archived on his website if you look around a bit. But the upshot of Christie's comment was that he is unambiguously in favor of gun control, and that he was still a supporter of NJ's stupid and useless Assault Weapons ban. If I remember correctly, Derb informed him that he had doubts about the governor's national future if he was to maintain that perspective.

So here we are just a few years later. The big man from Trenton has done the blue state Republican Shtick - trashing conservatives and the conservative movement for the TV cameras every chance he gets. He practically did a series of commercials for President Obama just before the election, which certainly helped him. And he has seen his popularity with NJ liberals soar, making him an even bigger favorite with the national news media who are also universally liberal. So naturally Christie has started to think again about a national job.

But it turns out that 'The Derb" was dead right. The Republican movement is responding to his leftward shift in general and his continued support of gun control in particular by shunning him. He can run for President as a Democrat I suppose - it might even be a good fit for him. Given the circus sideshow that Obama will leave behind when he skulks back to Chicago with the Whitehouse flatware in his suitcase, the Democrats would probably welcome him. But he has a "limited future" as a Republican given his stance on gun control. I've always thought it was his weakest position, but of course I would. Now it seems that many others agree.

So which way does Christie move now? Does he sign the gaggle of idiotic bills designed only to punish Republican gun owners that is working its way through the NJ Senate, putting the final nail in the coffin for his future as a Republican? This would signal his future desire to switch parties for any national run. Does he reject the bills to try to bolster his position with the conservative base? Even the Obama justice department says they won't do anyhting to reduce violence, so he can certainly make a logical case for that which will resonate nationally. But it will cost him his local popularity among NJ's unicorn farmers, and make him unpopular with the NY press. Or does he drag his feet, let the new gun control bills expire without action and try to make it all go away without being blamed for anything?

The last is the most likely direction of course. The man is a politician after all, and avoiding responsibility is what he's all about in spite of his well known bluster. But given the luck of NJ's gun owners I'd bet on him switching parties and infringing away when it comes to gun control. He's a better national fit for a Democrat than a Republican anyway. And compared to the people running that party he would be a shining light of reason. But he will look truly silly riding a unicorn.

2 comments:

Christie's response was: "My experience in law enforcement has convinced me of the need for gun control," or words close to that.

He also gave an answer on illegal immigration -- the other thing I asked him about -- straight out of the Democrat talking points: "Nation of immigrants," or some such cant, I don't remember the words.

I like Christie's kick-ass personality, but on a lot of issues key to conservatives, he's hopeless.